Turner Leads Trojans to Crossroads League Championship

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ANGOLA, Ind. – Taylor University led the field throughout the 2016 Crossroads League Championships at Glendarin Hills Golf Club to claim the team championship with its sixth win of the season. TU also claimed the top individual finish, with Trey Turner shooting six under for the individual title.

The Crossroads League Championship is the ninth league title for the Taylor men's golf program, its second Crossroads League Championship and its first since 1998. Turner and Alec Dutkowski each claimed All-Crossroad League honors with top-10 finishes, and head coach Cameron Andry was named the Crossroads League Men's Golf Coach of the Year for the second time in five seasons with the program.

TU closed out the championship performance by shooting a 291 on Tuesday for its second-best 18-hole score in program history, following its record-setting second-round tally of 287 on Monday. Even with the low scores Taylor found itself clinging to a one-shot lead over a hard-charging Marian unit, before Jeremy Ray drained a birdie on 16 and Mitch Lamping birdied 18 to seal the championship.

Taylor finished three shots clear of the Knights at 872, logging its lowest three-round total in program history. Marian finished in second at 875 and Indiana Wesleyan rounded out the top-three at 889.

The Trojans made key birdies throughout the two-day event, leading all nine teams with 41 birdies and sinking a field-best 14 birdies over the final round to maintain the lead.

The strong team play was anchored by Turner, who cruised to the Crossroads League Individual Championship with a 71 on Tuesday to finish at 210 and with a three-stroke lead at six-under par for the tournament. Turner set records along the way for the lowest 36-hole score (139) and lowest 54-hole score (210) in TU program history.

Dutkowski joined Turner in the top-three by carding a 74 on Tuesday to finish even for the tournament and in a tie for third. Dutkowski's 216 was the lowest among all freshmen at the event.

Ray drilled six birdies en route to a career-best score of 70 on Tuesday, marking TU's best round of the day and turning in the second-lowest third-round score of the event. Ray ended the tournament at seven-over and in 12th place, while Nick Waskom took 15th at plus-10 and Lamping came in at plus-13 and in 24th.

No. 21 Taylor (121-10) will now prepare of its seventh team appearance at the NAIA National Championships. TU's last team bid came in 1998 with a 29th-place team finish. The 2016 championships will be held on May 24 through May 27 at TPC Deere Run in Moline, Illinois. The championship course is home to the PGA Tour's John Deer Classic.